Lavender
by disturbinglyprofound
Summary: A few days before the Valentine's Day Dance, Padma Patil begins receiving some strange letters... of a romantic nature.


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter franchise, and this non-ownership includes people, places, things, and ideas. Thank you.**

**Lavender**

Lilac had always been Padma's favourite colour. Not purple, which had always reminded her of eggplants – _which she hated – _but lilac, the calmer, collected version of the eye-popping, outgoing purple.

Her sister Parvati was purple, definitely. With her ostentatious robes, firecracker personality – _characteristic of a Gryffindor – _and admittedly fantastic flirting skills, she was the epitome of the colour purple. Padma was the quieter twin, the more serious of the two, and for a while, she had liked that. Now that they were both sixteen, at the prime of their teenage years, when having a boyfriend seemed to be the most important thing in the world, even in the middle of a Wizarding War, calm, serious Padma wasn't sure if being so calm would help her get a boyfriend.

One day in the middle of sixth year, she ate her usual breakfast of oatmeal and toast, watching students receive early Valentines from their significant others. Valentine's Day was in less than two weeks, and already her peers were gearing up to make the day the most romantic, cheesy, and against-single-girls as possible.

Her sister was snuggling with the dope Seamus Finnigan, her sister's _best friend _Lavender Brown gripped Ron Weasley's arm as if he was about to run away from her – _which he was – _and Padma sat alone at the Ravenclaw table with nothing but Luna Lovegood for company.

"Do you agree, Padma?" she asked, her dreamy voice like wisps of air, it was so light.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think Sasquatches make good parents?" Luna said, as she flipped through the Quibbler.

"I – I can't say," Padma replied, bewildered.

"It's just as well," Luna sighed, her head disappearing into the magazine. "Their heads are much too full of Ferhipsles, aren't they?"

"Mmm-hmm."

* * *

The first package came at breakfast on the eighth of February. It was wrapped up in plain brown paper; there was nothing distinguishable about it. It could've easily been thrown away with the other junk. But the envelope attached to it was a light purple – _a lilac. _And that was what caught Padma's attention.

Lilac was her favourite colour, after all.

Nobody watched her as she opened the envelope and took out the note.

_Lavender: love at first sight. Enchantment. _

A confused expression took over her pretty face. Her brow furrowed, something it always did when she was deep in thought. She tried to put together a puzzle with missing pieces as she unwrapped the package. She failed to notice its elongated appearance, something customary to a single-flower box.

Wrapped in folds of tissue paper was a single lavender rose, the precise shade of the envelope.

"Love at first sight," she breathed. "Lavender."

_The card had been referring to the rose. _

The beautiful rose, its petals soft and the perfect shade of purple. _Her _purple. Padma looked around, in an attempt to deduce the identity of her secret admirer. But no one held her gaze. Luna looked at the flower admiringly.

"Is that yours?" she asked.

"I think so," Padma replied, picking up the flower carefully, pricking her fingers once or twice on the thorns.

"It's lovely," Luna whispered.

Padma hid a smile. Perhaps this year would be different for her, after all.

In class that day, Padma was on guard for anything unusual. But nothing happened. Nothing at all. Well, if she didn't count the colossal mess Draco Malfoy made of his Draught of Living Death, but he'd been doing terribly in Potions for the entire sixth year; she couldn't expect him to start making up for it now.

Once or twice, she'd noticed Terry Boot eyeing her up, but that might've just been because she spilled dirt on her robes during Herbology. And Michael Corner had been watching her too, but he watched everyone. He had that creepy sort of look in his eyes. Padma wondered why on Earth Ginny Weasley had gone out with him.

* * *

The second package came at precisely the same time as the first, wrapped up in identical packaging. The only thing that had changed was that the envelope was a rich, creamy white. Lisa Turpin watched Padma, along with Luna, as she opened the envelope with barely contained glee.

_White: Purity and innocence. Humility. Secrecy._

"What does it say?" Lisa demanded.

"Nothing," Padma replied quickly, obeying the note's subliminal message. She tucked the card away and left the Great Hall without wasting a moment. The rose would need a vase, and quickly. Lisa and Luna watched with confusion.

Another pair of eyes watched her go without a word.

* * *

"Padma."

She looked up from her notes. "What's wrong, Parvati?"

The Gryffindor twin glanced at her sister as she copied down the diagram. "What was that package at breakfast?"

"Nothing," Padma said hurriedly. She'd never been a good liar. It was just as well, because she despised lying.

"It looked like _something _to me, the way you ran out of the Great Hall like Malfoy after he was Transfigured into a ferret," Parvati grinned. "So what's the big secret?"

"It's nothing," Padma said again, her voice defensive. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because Valentine's Day is in five days and you haven't got a date to the dance," Parvati replied, checking her nails. "I was thinking of setting you up with Neville Longbottom, but this _secret admirer _I'm hearing about from people might want to do the honours."

Padma glared at her sister. "Why are you setting me up with Neville?"

"What's wrong with him?"

"There's nothing _wrong _with him; you just want to pair me off with any boy you can –"

"Who's got the temper now?" Parvati laughed. "Would you rather go with a lonely Harry?"

"I'd rather not go," Padma said, sitting back in her chair. "Dances are stupid, anyhow."

"You're only saying that because of the Yule Ball."

"So?"

"You're being ridiculous," Parvati sighed, her eyes on the chalkboard Professor Snape was writing on.

"_I'm _being ridiculous? You –"

"_Miss _Patil. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your conversation," Professor Snape interrupted icily, "but I am _trying _to teach a lesson."

"Sorry, Professor," the twins said. Parvati stuck her tongue out at Padma as soon as he turned back to the board. Padma couldn't come up with a witty response.

_As usual._

"I think it's one of the Slytherins," Parvati said a moment later. "Ooh, what's if it's Theodore Nott? He's _gorgeous. _Oh, but wait. He's dating Daphne Greengrass, isn't he?"

Padma didn't respond.

"Better hope it's not a fifth-year, they're not invited. But Blaise Zabini wouldn't be too bad, would he? He's got these beautiful indigo eyes; it's as if they see straight into your soul –"

Padma put her head down on the desk.

* * *

The next morning, there was no package.

And, if the audience would be interested to know, a certain Slytherin boy wasn't there either. It was quite possible that the two incidences could be somehow _related._

Padma was quite disappointed. She desperately needed some sort of pick-me-up today, especially now that it was common knowledge she was the only sixth-year not going to the Valentine's Day Dance. She felt like a social pariah. Her sister was watching her from the Gryffindor table, she knew. Probably laughing at the fact that she was empty-handed. Some woman she was. Couldn't even keep a secret admirer for more than a few days.

"What's the matter, Padma?" Luna questioned as she ate her lock-shaped scrambled eggs.

"Nothing," she sighed.

"Is it because you haven't received a package yet today?"

Figuring it was better than lying poorly, Padma told the truth. "Yes."

Luna smiled serenely. "Maybe he's just busy this morning. Not everyone's quite awake so early, you know. Perhaps he's sleeping. I'm sure you'll get it at supper."

"Maybe," she said begrudgingly.

* * *

After a gruelling, utterly dull day of classes – which Padma was very surprised about, considering how much she loved school and learning and everything that came with it – Padma was delighted for a warm, comforting dinner and then hopefully an early night.

Luna had been called 'Loony' by more than a few Hogwarts students, but in this particular situation, she was anything but. Her soothing advice had rung true for Padma, and she was almost relieved to see the school owl fly in with a familiar brown package. Of course, the whole secrecy idea flew out the window with this relief. Padma figured it wouldn't matter if she left with it or not; otherwise, she would be viewed as some sort of Dark object smuggler. Either way, the spotlight would be cast on her – and not in a good way.

The envelope was light pink this time, and she assumed the rose would be, too. Eagerly, the Ravenclaw opened the card and read.

_Pink: admiration, grace. Sweetness._

"What does it say?" Luna asked, quietly encouraging. Padma decided she could be trusted, and passed the card to the blonde. She read it slowly, her protuberant eyes unblinking. "What a beautiful collection of words," she said, passing it back to its owner.

"Yes," Padma agreed, reading over the words again. She really had never thought of herself as a graceful person before. She wondered what her secret admirer found graceful about her. "Luna – d-do you think these things are true?"

Luna blinked, which was a surprise.

"Of course they are," she said, her gaze confused. "Why would your secret admirer write it if they weren't?"

"I don't know," Padma admitted. "This has never happened to me before."

"Follow your heart, then," Luna advised.

"But I've never –"

"It's because you're a Ravenclaw," Luna sighed. "But in matters of the heart, logic makes no sense. Isn't that true?"

"I – I suppose. But –"

"Then don't let your head get involved. It'll be too confusing." Luna smiled.

"But it –"

"Just let your heart speak for once, will you Padma?"

She couldn't say a word. Luna never interrupted her when she spoke, and certainly not _three times in a row. _Was she that cut off from love? Had she been thinking with her head for so long that she'd forgotten what it felt like to have a crush, to fancy a boy?

Padma tried to remember the last time she'd fancied someone. The last time had been three years ago – at the Yule Ball, when she'd seen Blaise Zabini in his classic black robes, and then the crushing disappointment she'd felt when she walked in on him snogging Tracey Davis in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

She'd decided then that she'd never fancy a Slytherin boy again. They were much too clichéd – all heartbreaking playboys were only interested in a long-term relationship with their Slytherin counterparts.

* * *

The next three days passed in a flurry of roses – a dark pink one, symbolizing appreciation; a yellow one, signifying joy and gladness; and a coral one, meant to represent friendship. All smelled lovely and somehow managed to stay perfectly fresh, even days after. They were gathered in a tall vase beside her bed, and their sweet aroma had spread all over the sixth-year Ravenclaw girls' dormitory.

Ravenclaws of all ages had asked her about them, and each pouted when she told them – _in all honesty – _that she had no idea of who was sending her a beautiful rose each day, or even _why. _Padma was beginning to feel disheartened, and had begun to wonder if the entire thing was simply a prank; something meant to fool the unsuspecting Ravenclaw.

The Valentine's Day Dance was in a measly two days, and no one had approached her yet about going. It wasn't anything she wasn't used to, but Padma at least had to admit that this year, something very different had happened. It wasn't too irrational for her to expect some sort of proposition, now was it?

"Well?" Parvati demanded. She eyed the coral rose, today's flower. It had come with the usual note. However flattering it was to Padma, she couldn't do a thing about it. And it was becoming very, very frustrating.

"Nothing," Padma sighed, fingering the petals. They were sitting at Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, attempting to eat breakfast in a vaguely normalized way. She glanced at her twin, whose gaze seemed strangely focused on the Slytherin table. She didn't bother to look, figuring Parvati was, like all other girls at Hogwarts, taking a peek at the almost unfairly gorgeous Draco Malfoy.

"Have you noticed anything… peculiar lately? Besides the flowers," Parvati asked.

"No," Padma answered, putting down the flower. "What d'you mean?"

"Nothing." Parvati stood up suddenly, momentarily startling her sister. "I've got Potions, see you later."

And she was gone before Padma could say a word.

* * *

Herbology class later that day proved to be quite interesting for Padma.

They were paired up by the Professor Sprout, the teacher, and of course, she made sure that no two housemates were together. Padma was put with Theodore Nott, a relatively tame Slytherin, and she relaxed.

"So," he said, while they patted down dragon dung. "Any word yet on that secret admirer of yours?"

Padma groaned. "Could we change the subject, please?"

Theo grinned. "I'll take that as a no, Patil."

She didn't respond.

"Well, I just wanted to say that someone may not be very happy about all the attention you're getting from this mysterious lover of yours," Theo said casually.

Padma looked at him. "And what do you mean by that?"

He glanced at her before returning to his plant. "You'll see. Just wear a pretty dress to the Valentine's Day Dance, alright?"

"What?" She choked on the words. But he'd already left; he'd gone to hand in their completed project.

* * *

"I don't understand why you're being so shy about it," Parvati complained. "Just go to the dance, find out who your secret admirer is, and live happily ever after."

Padma scowled at her sister. "You say it as if it's the easiest thing in the world."

"It _is, _you daft banana." Parvati threw a pillow at her twin, hitting her squarely in the nose.

"For _you, _it might be." Padma tossed it back. "But not me."

"You just need a pretty dress, like Theo said. And maybe some – makeup." She looked at her sister hopefully.

"Fine," Padma sighed. Parvati's eyebrows shot up.

"Excuse me? Did you just _agree _to let me muck up your face with various chemically-enhanced beauty products?"

"Do it quickly, before I change my mind." Padma closed her eyes.

* * *

The Valentine's Day Dance fell in the evening of Valentine's Day, after an entire twelve hours of snowfall. Nevertheless, partygoers were excited about attending the ball, perhaps because it would be a few hours spent with their significant others, current objects of affection, and friends. Of course, all the girls were most happy about their brand-new dress robes, which they would finally have a chance to show off.

In Parvati Patil's dormitory, however, there was nothing but pain, torture, and the occasional mascara wand.

"I _told _you to stay still, Padma!" she cried. Her sister had backed away, clutching the eye Parvati had just poked with eyeliner. "And I had it so perfectly, too!"

"I don't see why you need all of that, Padma. You're perfectly fine the way you are." Hermione Granger looked lovely in her red velvet cocktail dress, and her unruly curls had been pinned back, creating an elegant look similar to her Yule Ball attire.

Parvati glared. "Some makeup wouldn't kill her, y'know."

Hermione eyed Padma. "I think it would," she said finally. "Here, let me –"

She pulled out her wand and pointed it in Padma's direction. When the Ravenclaw moved her hand from her face, her ruined makeup was fixed, and her leaky eye was dry.

"Thanks, Hermione," Padma said gratefully. Hermione grinned.

"You're welcome."

She left then, possibly to meet up with the delicious and yet brutish Cormac McLaggen, who both the twins knew was only her date because it would annoy Ron Weasley the most. Hogwarts students of all years were betting on the two of them getting together by next year, that was how obvious the sexual tension was between the two Gryffindors. But Padma wasn't one to comment – she, after all, was still clueless about who her secret admirer was.

"Oh, before I forget. Your lover boy – whoever he is – sent you another note, but you weren't at breakfast this morning." Parvati handed her sister an orange envelope and a haphazardly put-together box. Padma gave her twin a look when she saw the box.

"Opening other peoples' packages is a crime, y'know," said Padma. Parvati shrugged.

"I was curious."

Padma opened the envelope first, anticipating another note. She wasn't disappointed: _Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm, Fascination._

"Ooh, Paddy," said Parvati excitedly. She had been reading the note over Padma's shoulder. "Desire. D'you think he'll make a move tonight?"

The word suddenly jumped out at Padma. Was her secret admirer expecting her to climb into bed with him – if he ever revealed himself? She was overcome with nervousness. As the more prudish of the Patil twins, she had never had sex with anyone before. Sure, she had kissed Terry Boot once or twice, but she'd never done anything to be counted as actual _shagging. _And now her secret admirer was suggesting they do just that, if and when whoever it was decided to reveal their identity.

"I don't know," said Padma, worried.

"Padma," Parvati said softly. "Don't worry about it. If he really likes you, then... he'll be willing to wait." Padma looked up at her sister with surprise. She wasn't usually so deep and so – well, _Padma _when it came to things like intimacy. But it was a comfort just the same.

"Come on," Parvati grinned. "Let's go find out who your secret admirer is."

* * *

In classic Valentine's Day style, the Great Hall was draped with red, pink and white streamers, tablecloths, and balloons. Students wore pretty dresses and dashing robes, though the boys looked a little uncomfortable about wearing such girly colours. And of course, because it was Valentine's Day, couples were smooching all over the place. Padma had had to sidestep at least a dozen of them on her way to the punch bowl – filled with strawberry-red punch, for the occasion.

She'd taken Theo's advice and worn a pretty dress, a lacy, lilac one that brought out the honey in her skin tone. Her makeup had been fixed nicely, thanks to Hermione's wandwork, and she looked confident enough to meet whoever had been sending her flowers for the past two weeks, emphasis on _looked. _Inside, she was nothing but a bundle of nerves. She hoped she didn't look antisocial, standing by the punch bowl all alone. She sipped her drink nervously, waiting for something to happen.

Theo approached her, once again devoid of his girlfriend's presence. "Oh, good, you look pretty," he grinned. He was a smiley-sort of person, unlike his Slytherin brothers. Not once had Padma seen a smirk or condescending glance on his face. It was strange, considering where he'd come from. "Not a bimbo and yet not too prudish. Excellent choice." His gaze lingered on her legs, exposed due to the short nature of the dress, and then he looked back up at her. "Wait here, will you?"

She nodded, and he disappeared into the crowd of students. Parvati suddenly emerged from it, smiling broadly.

"So? Has anything happened?" she demanded. Padma shook her head.

Parvati sighed, clearly contemplating something important. "Look, Padma, the truth is –"

But then Parvati saw something just beyond Padma's head that made her rethink what she was about to say. Padma whirled around, but whatever it was had disappeared. All that was there was an empty entranceway to the Entrance Hall. When she looked back, Parvati had disappeared. _What in the world was going on? _Padma was about to follow her sister through the group of students in front of her, assuming that was where Parvati had disappeared to, when something caught her eye.

There was a figure, standing in the entranceway. The person, whoever it was, couldn't be seen because of the darkness. The entranceway itself, however, was lighter in comparison to the black robes the person was wearing. She watched as it disappeared. The traditional Gryffindor response would be to follow, as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger had done before her. But she was a Ravenclaw, and they were primarily of the think-but-don't-act sort. Something, however, in the back of her mind was telling her that perhaps exercising a little curiosity wouldn't be too much of a bad thing.

And that was why she put down her half-full punch glass and walked away from the Great Hall, through the entryway to the Entrance Hall. The passage leading up to it was dark, she realized, but the Entrance itself was lit up brightly for the occasion. Students and professors lingered here, chatting and generally keeping away from the lovesick madness going on inside the Great Hall. No one looked up as she entered, and she hesitated, unsure of where to go. Logic told her to go back inside, but curiosity propelled her onwards, more specifically to the door to an open entranceway. She had never been down this particular corridor, but there was a first time for everything. Including strange treasure hunts.

* * *

When Blaise disappeared from the Great Hall, Theo didn't ask him where he was going. Instead, he smirked at Parvati Patil, who was sitting with Luna Lovegood, Lisa Turpin, and Mandy Brocklehurst across the room. She smirked back, accompanying it with a wink characteristic of a bold little Gryffindor.

"Why is Patil winking in your direction?" Draco said, his tone irritated. "Is she not aware that you have a girlfriend?"

"I'm sure she is, Draco," replied Theo. "You're just jealous that she's not winking at _you."_

"Don't be ridiculous. I have Pansy," Draco muttered.

"And I have Daphne. But just because I've ordered the entrée doesn't mean I can't look over the menu, now does it?" Theo smirked.

"Those two had better be snogging each other's brains out," said Tracey, effectively breaking up their conversation. "All this pretending is driving me mad."

"It's too cold for snogging," said Theo, with a knowing grin on his face. "They'll have plenty of time on their date tomorrow."

* * *

"Are you sure neither of them suspect?" asked Mandy Brocklehurst.

"Theo wrote the letters," Parvati replied. "Of course they don't."

* * *

Padma was careful when she ventured down the hallway, avoiding cobwebs and the like as her shoes click-clacked against the floor. In the silence that the corridor provided, she could hear faint footsteps up ahead. A sudden sharp, cold breeze blew down the corridor, and a fresh crop of goose pimples rose up on Padma's skin. She clasped her hands around herself, wishing she'd worn a little more than a short cocktail dress. She pulled out her wand and summoned her coat, putting it on before she caught a cold.

When she was near enough, she could see an open door at the end of the hallway, and the scene outside was one out of the _Nature _magazines her mother liked to read. She realized that this was the Viaduct Courtyard. Usually, it was overpopulated with students, but on nights like these, hardly anyone ventured outside to spend some time here. Clearly, whoever had led her out was one of the few who did. Padma stepped outside, wincing when the cold air hit her in the face. She looked around for the figure, and was pleased when she saw it on one of the benches, underneath a naked tree. It looked up as she approached, and her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

Blaise Zabini.

"Zabini?" she breathed, her breath coming out in opaque puffs of air. He stood, towering over her the way all Slytherin boys did.

They had never spoken a word to each other, simply because she was too shy and he too aloof. He usually spent time with his Slytherin housemates, and was apparently known for his ability to scare the living daylights out of people without speaking at all. Since fourth year, when she'd caught him snogging Tracey Davis, she'd tried – and succeeded – at forgetting the painful crush she'd had on him. But now, as he looked down at her with those indigo eyes Parvati had referred to as "seeing into your soul," she found that she fancied him again. She blushed.

He said nothing to her. But when his cold hands took her face, his lips – somehow managing to stay warm and soft – kissed hers, she was all-too-aware of what he was saying. She responded almost too enthusiastically, and his resulting smirk was felt upon her mouth. He ended the kiss before it had truly come to a satisfying finish, and then he stood silently, watching her with those eyes of his.

Padma couldn't understand how he was so stoic and _unmoved _by what had just happened. She was a mess, her heart beating erratically, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed –

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a deep red rose. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. _The last rose._

"Unconscious beauty," he whispered, giving it to her. Their hands brushed, and if he felt the spark, he said nothing. Honestly, Padma could've just melted right there, with the dead of winter around them. No one had ever done this for her before – no one had ever kissed her like that before, certainly.

He left.

Padma looked down at her hands, where the rose was nestled. There was a piece of lilac parchment wrapped around the stem, preventing the thorns from piercing her skin. She unrolled the paper and read.

_Seven o'clock tomorrow. Ravenclaw Tower. _

When she looked up, Blaise had paused, turned back to look at her. Their eyes locked, and he did something even more unexpected.

He smiled.

* * *

A/N: Besides the 'hope you enjoyed,' (hope you enjoyed!), there is a sequel of sorts to this, entitled **Mine. **It's a bit darker in nature (only a bit) and deals with infidelity, premarital sex, and such, so fair warning to those who would not prefer to read it. Just putting it out there! Review if you like Lavender, and if you don't, I suppose it's okay as well. =D Flame away.


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